Dispenser module and refrigerator including the same

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dispenser module and a refrigerator including the same, which are capable of preventing ice from being scattered around the refrigerator, and ensures that ice is only discharged using a specified route. A dispenser module is disclosed, including a dispenser body having a discharge port, a guide wall formed along an edge of the dispenser body so as to protrude from the dispenser body, an ice cap mounted to the guide wall and configured to be rotated by a drive unit to open or close a movement route through which ice is moved toward the discharge port. The dispenser module further includes a push lever having an end mounted to the dispenser body and extending away from the guide wall, and a switch configured to control an operation of the drive unit by sensing a rotation of the push lever.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0048056, filed on Apr. 20, 2016, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to refrigerators, and more specifically,to a dispenser module and a refrigerator including the same.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator is an apparatus for storing food for by keeping arefrigeration compartment and a freezing compartment at a lowtemperature using a heat exchange process involving a refrigerant, wherea freezing cycle consisting of compression, condensation, expansion andevaporation is used to generate cold air.

In general, a refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body with afreezing compartment and a refrigeration compartment for storing food ata low temperature, and refrigerator doors mounted to a front surface ofthe refrigerator main body to selectively open and close the freezingcompartment and the refrigeration compartment.

Top-mount refrigerators with a freezing compartment disposed above arefrigeration compartment are a common type of refrigerator. In recentyears, bottom-freeze refrigerators with a freezing compartmentpositioned at a lower end of the refrigerator have become popular due toenhanced user convenience. However, for bottom-freeze refrigerators, thefreezing compartment is positioned lower which may be inconvenient whena user wants to retrieve ice from the freezer.

In order to solve this problem, bottom-freeze refrigerator may include adispenser disposed on a refrigeration compartment door for dispensingice. The dispenser is installed in the refrigeration compartment door,and a user may dispense ice by placing a container on the dispenser andpressing a push member or a button, for example.

However, the ice may be scattered around in the course of dispensing theice through the dispenser and may become lodged in other parts of therefrigerator. This may lead to sanitary problems when ice and/or watersits in areas of the refrigerator that are intended to be kept dry.Accordingly, a demand exists for a dispenser that enables ice pieces tobe discharged only through a specified route without being scatteredaround the refrigerator.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dispenser module and arefrigerator including the same, which are capable of preventing icepieces from being scattered around the refrigerator and ensure that iceis only discharged from a specified route.

According to one embodiments, an ice dispenser for a refrigerator isdisclosed, including a dispenser body comprising a discharge port, aguide wall disposed on an edge of the dispenser body and protrudingoutward from the dispenser body, a rotatable ice cap mounted on theguide wall, wherein the rotatable ice cap is rotated by a drive unit,and rotating the rotatable ice cap selectively opens a route throughwhich ice is moved to the discharge port, a push lever mounted to thedispenser body, where a space separates the push level from the guidewall, and a switch configured to activate the drive unit when the pushlever is depressed.

According to another embodiment, a dispenser module is disclosed,including a dispenser body having a discharge port, a guide walldisposed on an edge of the dispenser body and protruding away from thedispenser body, a hinged ice cap mounted to the guide wall using a hingeand rotated by a drive unit, a hinged push lever including a first endmounted to the dispenser body using a hinge, and a second end extendingoutward from the guide wall, and a switch configured to activate thedrive unit when rotation of the push lever is detected. The guide wallis disposed on at least a portion of the edge of the dispenser body andextends upward, and an upper end of the guide wall is above the hingedice cap.

According to another embodiment, a refrigerator is disclosed, includinga refrigerator main body, a refrigerator door mounted to therefrigerator main body and configured to rotate for selectively openingand closing the refrigerator main body, a dispenser module disposed inthe refrigerator door, and an ice maker disposed on the refrigeratormain body configured to produce ice and supply the ice to the dispensermodule in response to a signal transmitted from the switch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an exemplaryrefrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a region of an exemplary refrigeratordesignated by A in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary dispenser moduleaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view of the exemplary dispensermodule illustrated in FIG. 3A from a second angle.

FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary dispenser modulewith an ice cap thereof removed.

FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view of the exemplary dispensermodule illustrated in FIG. 4A viewed from a second angle.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of an exemplary dispenser moduleaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view illustrating an exemplary processfor discharging ice from the dispenser module according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description herein. Theillustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments maybe utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from thespirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.

One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosurecan be easily determined by those skilled in the art. As those skilledin the art will realize, the described exemplary embodiments may bemodified in various different ways, all without departing from thespirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is not limited to theexemplary embodiments described herein.

It is noted that the drawings are schematic and are not necessarilydimensionally illustrated. Relative sizes and proportions of parts inthe drawings may be exaggerated or reduced in size, and a predeterminedsize is merely exemplary and not limiting. The same reference numeralsdesignate the same structures, elements, or parts illustrated in two ormore drawings in order to exhibit similar characteristics.

The exemplary drawings of the present disclosure illustrate idealexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail. As aresult, various modifications of the drawings are expected. Accordingly,the exemplary embodiments are not limited to a specific form of theillustrated region, and for example, include a modification of a form bymanufacturing.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an exemplaryrefrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a region designated A in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary refrigerator according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure includes a refrigerator main body11 configured to define an outer shell, refrigerator doors 12 (12 a and12 b) coupled to the refrigerator main body 11 to selectively open andclose the refrigerator main body 11, a dispenser module 100 installed inone of the refrigerator doors 12, and an ice maker 14 provided insidethe refrigerator main body 11 and configured to supply ice to thedispenser module 100.

The bottom-freeze refrigerator 1 includes a freezing compartment at alower side thereof. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto. The present disclosure may be applicable to different types ofrefrigerators such as a top-mount refrigerator and other types which arewidely used in the related art.

The refrigerator main body 11 may include an internal space which may beselectively opened and closed by the refrigerator doors 12. For example,the interior of the refrigerator main body 11 may be divided into arefrigeration compartment R and a freezing compartment F, which may beselectively opened and closed by a refrigeration compartment door 12 aand a freezing compartment door 12 b, respectively.

The dispenser module 100 may be disposed on one of the refrigeratordoors 12. For example, the dispenser module 100 may be disposed on anouter surface of the refrigeration compartment door 12 a. An opening 11a may be provided in the refrigeration compartment door 12 a. A pushlever 140 of the dispenser module 100 may be accessible through theopening 11 a to enable a user to use the dispenser module 100 withouthaving to open the refrigeration compartment door 12 a.

The ice maker 14 is configured to receive water from an external watersource and to produce ice, and may be provided inside the refrigerationcompartment R. The ice maker 14 and the dispenser module 100 may beconnected to each other by a separate connection pipe 13 (see FIG. 6).The ice produced in the ice maker 14 may be discharged through thedispenser module 100. For example, the ice maker 14 may supply the iceto the dispenser module 100 in response to a signal transmitted from aswitch 150.

FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary dispenser module100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3Bis a schematic perspective view of the dispenser module 100 illustratedin FIG. 3A, viewed from a second angle. FIG. 4A is a schematicperspective view of the dispenser module 100 with an ice cap thereofremoved, and FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view of the dispensermodule 100 illustrated in FIG. 4A viewed from a second angle. FIG. 5 isa schematic side view of the dispenser module 100 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic sectionalview illustrating an exemplary process for discharging ice from thedispenser module 100 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 6, the dispenser module 100, according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure, may be provided in therefrigerator 1 to dispense ice. For example, the dispenser module 100may be provided on a surface of the refrigeration compartment door 12 ain order to enable a user to easily obtain ice from the refrigerator 1.

The dispenser module 100 may include a dispenser body 110, a guide wall120, an ice cap 130, a push lever 140 and a switch 150.

The dispenser body 110 may be coupled to one of the refrigerator doors12, and may use a shoot or pathway for discharging ice, such asdischarge port 110 a.

The guide wall 120 may protrude from an edge of the dispenser body 110.When the ice is discharged through the dispenser module 100, the guidewall 120 prevents the ice from being scattered outward. With regard toFIG. 6, when the ice I is supplied to the dispenser module 100, some ofthe ice I may not enter the discharge port 110 a and may move to theoutside of the discharge port 110 a after colliding with the dispenserbody 110. In this case, the guide wall 120 prevents the ice from beingscattered outward and guides the ice toward the discharge port 110 a.

For example, the guide wall 120 may surround at least a portion of thedischarge port 110 a. The ice cap 130 may be disposed on a portion ofthe discharge port 110 a not covered by the guide wall 120.

The guide wall 120 may be provided along at least a portion of the edgeof the dispenser body 110 and extend upward. The upper end of the guidewall 120 may be disposed above the ice cap 130.

For example, the guide wall 120 may include sidewalls 121 disposed atthe opposite sides of the ice cap 130 and a rear wall portion 122configured to interconnect the sidewalls 121 and face the ice cap 130.

In this regard, the upper ends of the sidewalls 121 and the rear wallportion 122 may be disposed on the same plane. In other words, thesidewalls 121 and the rear wall portion 122 may be provided along atleast a portion of an edge of the discharge port 110 a and protrudeupward to guide the ice discharged from the ice maker 14 toward thedischarge port 110 a.

The guide wall 120 and the dispenser body 110 may be combined as asingle object or provided as separate components. For example, the guidewall 120 may be manufactured using injection-molding, where the guidewall 120 and the dispenser body 110 are formed into a single component.Alternatively, the guide wall 120 may be independently manufactured andfixed to the dispenser body 110 by bonding, screw-fixing or othermethods.

The ice cap 130 may be mounted to the guide wall 120 in a rotatable orhinged manner. In one example, the ice cap 130 may be mounted to thesidewalls 121 of the guide wall 120 using a hinge. The ice cap 130 maybe connected to a separate drive unit 160 and may be rotated by thedrive unit 160. In this regard, the drive unit 160 may rotate the icecap 130 in response to a signal applied from the switch 150.

The ice cap 130 may include a shaft 131 mounted to the sidewalls 121using a hinge, and a stopper 132 connected to the shaft 131 andconfigured to open and/or close a route through which ice is movedtoward the discharge port 110 a.

The sidewalls 121 may include a first insertion hole 121 a and a secondinsertion hole 121 b into which the shaft 131 is rotatably inserted. Inthis regard, one side of the first insertion hole 121 a may include aslit or narrow opening. When the shaft 131 of the ice cap 130 iscombined with the sidewalls 121, an end portion of the shaft 131 may beinserted into the second insertion hole 121 b, and another end portionof the shaft 131 may be pressed into to the first insertion hole 121 a.

An elastic member 133 configured to apply a restoration force to the icecap 130 may be disposed on one end portion of the shaft 131. The elasticmember 133 may be, for example, a coil spring or a torsion spring. Whenthe ice cap 130 is rotated in one direction by the drive unit 160, theelastic member 133 may provide a rotational force for returning the icecap 130 to an original position. When the ice cap 130 is rotated by thedrive unit 160, the end portion of the ice cap 130 may make contact withthe inner surface of the rear wall portion 122.

The operation of the drive unit 160 may be controlled by the switch 150provided at one side of the dispenser body 110. The switch 150 may sensethe rotation of the push lever 140 and may transmit a start signal or astop signal to the drive unit 160.

The push lever 140 may make contact with the switch 150. When the pushlever 140 is brought into contact with the switch 150, the switch 150may transmit a signal to the drive unit 160 and the ice maker 14. Uponreceiving the signal from the switch 150, the drive unit 160 rotates theice cap 130 and opens the discharge port 110 a. In this way, the icemaker 14 can supply ice to the dispenser module 100. Because thedischarge port 110 a is opened by a rotation of the ice cap 130, the icesupplied from the ice maker 14 can be discharged through the dischargeport 110 a. When discharging ice, some ice may collide with the pipe 13,which interconnects the ice maker 14 and the dispenser module 100, orthe dispenser body 110. However, the guide wall 120 prevents the icefrom being scattered or discharged through a route other than the routeprovided by the discharge port 110 a.

The push lever 140 may be mounted to the dispenser body 110 in a hingedmanner. For example, one end portion of the push lever 140 may berotatably mounted to the dispenser body 110 and the other end portion ofthe push lever 140 may extend away from the guide wall 120. In this way,at least a portion of the push lever 140 may be exposed through theopening 11 a of the refrigeration compartment door 12 a. Accordingly, auser may push the push lever 140 using a cup, container (e.g., containerB) or the like without having to open the refrigerator door 12.

If a user pushes the push lever 140, a switch contact projection 141disposed at one side of the push lever 140 may be rotated to press theswitch 150. As the switch contact projection 141 presses the switch 150,the ice discharge process is performed as described above.

The method of operating the switch 150 may be changed to many differentmethods widely used in the related art. For example, a separate photosensor may be installed so that a switch is operated when a container isdetected by the photo sensor. Alternatively, a pressure sensor may beinstalled on the surface on which a container is seated, so that aswitch is operated when a container is detected by the pressure sensor.

The dispenser module 100 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes the guide wall 120 which surrounds at least aportion of an edge of the discharge port 110 a for preventing ice frombeing scattered in the refrigerator or moved away from the intendedroute. In addition, the guide wall 120 is an integral part of thedispenser module 100. Therefore, there is no need to install a separateguide member in the dispenser body 110 to prevent ice from moving awayfrom the specified movement route.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Theexemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the presentdisclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the presentdisclosure will be interpreted by the claims below, and it will beconstrued that all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto belongto the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ice dispenser for a refrigerator, the icedispenser comprising: a dispenser body comprising a discharge port; aguide wall disposed on an edge of the dispenser body and protrudingoutward from the dispenser body; a rotatable ice cap mounted on theguide wall, wherein the rotatable ice cap is rotated by a drive unit,and wherein rotation of the rotatable ice cap selectively opens a routethrough which ice is operable to be moved to the discharge port; a pushlever comprising a first end portion rotatably mounted on the dispenserbody, and a second end portion extending away from the guide wall; and aswitch configured to activate the drive unit when the push lever ismanipulated.
 2. The ice dispenser of claim 1, wherein activating thedrive unit causes ice to be dispensed.
 3. The ice dispenser of claim 1,wherein the guide wall is disposed on at least a portion of the edge ofthe dispenser body and extends upward, wherein an upper end of the guidewall is disposed above the rotatable ice cap.
 4. The ice dispenser ofclaim 1, wherein the guide wall comprises: a first sidewall disposed ata first side of the rotatable ice cap; a second sidewall disposed at asecond side of the rotatable ice cap; and a rear wall interconnectingthe sidewalls, wherein the rear wall faces the rotatable ice cap, andwherein the first side and second side are opposite sides.
 5. The icedispenser of claim 4, wherein the rotatable ice cap comprises a shaftmounted to the sidewalls and a stopper connected to the shaft andconfigured to open or close a movement route connected to the dischargeport.
 6. The ice dispenser of claim 5, further comprising an elasticmember, wherein the elastic member is configured to provide arestoration force to the rotatable ice cap and is mounted to a first endof the shaft, and wherein the drive unit is mounted to a second end ofthe shaft.
 7. The ice dispenser of claim 3, wherein the rotatable icecap comprises an end configured to contact an inner surface of the rearwall when the rotatable ice cap is rotated.
 8. A dispenser module, thedispenser module comprising: a dispenser body comprising a dischargeport; a guide wall disposed on an edge of the dispenser body andprotruding away from the dispenser body; a hinged ice cap mounted to theguide wall using a hinge and operable to be rotated by a drive unit; ahinged push lever comprising: a first end mounted to the dispenser bodyusing a hinge; and a second end extending outward from the guide wall;and a switch configured to activate the drive unit when a manipulationof the push lever is detected, wherein the guide wall is disposed on atleast a portion of the edge of the dispenser body and extends upward,and wherein an upper end of the guide wall is disposed above the hingedice cap.
 9. The dispenser module of claim 8, wherein activating thedrive unit causes ice to be dispensed.
 10. The dispenser module of claim8, wherein the hinged push lever is separated from the dispenser body bya gap.
 11. A refrigerator comprising: a refrigerator main body; arefrigerator door mounted to the refrigerator main body and configuredto rotate for selectively opening and closing the refrigerator mainbody; a dispenser module comprising a switch, wherein the dispensermodule is disposed within the refrigerator door; and an ice makerdisposed within the refrigerator main body configured to produce ice andsupply the ice to the dispenser module in response to a signaltransmitted from the switch.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 11, furthercomprising a push lever mounted to the refrigerator door for activatingthe switch, wherein at least a portion of the push lever is exposedoutside of the refrigerator.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 12, furthercomprising: a guide wall disposed on an edge of the dispenser module;and an ice cap mounted to the guide wall, wherein an upper end of theguide wall extends upward above the ice cap.
 14. The refrigerator ofclaim 13, wherein the guide wall comprises: a first sidewall disposed ata first side of the ice cap; a second sidewall disposed at a second sideof the ice cap; and a rear wall interconnecting the sidewalls, whereinthe rear wall faces the ice cap, and wherein the first side and thesecond side are opposite sides.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 14,wherein the ice cap is rotatable and comprises: a shaft mounted to thefirst and second sidewalls; and a stopper connected to the shaft andconfigured to open and close a movement route for ice.
 16. Therefrigerator of claim 15, further comprising: an elastic memberconfigured to provide a restoration force to the ice cap mounted to afirst end of the shaft; and a drive unit mounted to a second end of theshaft, wherein the drive unit rotates the ice cap to dispense ice. 17.The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the ice cap comprises an end thatcontacts an inner surface of the rear wall when the ice cap is rotated.18. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the ice cap is mounted to theguide wall using a hinge and comprises a stopper configured to open andclose a movement route for ice.